When U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and his Republican challenger, Joe Kyrillos, met for their first debate on Thursday, the Democratic senator went on the attack against the Medicare reform proposal from GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan.

As many of his fellow Democrats have said before, Menendez claimed Ryan's proposed budget would turn the health care program into a "voucher."

"But listen what I don’t want to do is what my opponent says, he basically embraces the Ryan budget. But what does the Ryan budget do?" Menendez said. "It ends Medicare as we know (it), makes it a voucher, privatizes Social Security, dramatically cuts assistance to education in our country."

Would Ryan's proposal turn Medicare into a voucher, as Menendez claims?

Saed Hindash/The Star-LedgerU.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat, makes a point during a debate Thursday with state Sen. Joe Kyrillos (R-Monmouth) at Montclair State University. The two will face off in the Nov. 6 election.